Reviewing stewardship land – ‘pick up the pace’

Parliamentary Commissioner for the
Environment, Dr Jan Wright, has called for the Department of
Conservation to pick up the pace in reviewing stewardship
land.

Today Dr Wright released an update to her 2013
report Investigating the future of conservation: The case
of stewardship land. About one third of the conservation
estate is categorised as ‘stewardship land’.

The
Commissioner said she was pleased that the Minister of
Conservation has accepted her recommendations regarding
stewardship land and has moved to implement
them.

“Compared with other categories of conservation
land, the legal protection of stewardship land is weak. This
quite naturally signals to the private sector that it is
‘open for business’”, said Dr Wright.

“But much of
it will have high conservation value and should be
reclassified accordingly. Other areas will have little or no
conservation value and should be considered for exchange or
disposal.”

Dr Wright has welcomed the initial steps
being taken by the Department of Conservation in response to
her report. A number of areas have already been identified
for review including the Mokihinui area in the Buller
District, the St James-Poplars area in North Canterbury, and
the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.

“However, the
review strategy, including criteria and timelines, should be
put on the Department’s website so it is clear and
accessible to the public.”

Areas of stewardship land can
be swapped for areas of private land. In the update report,
the Commissioner reiterated the need to ensure such land
swaps benefit conservation. She said that further work is
required before the public can have confidence in land swap
decisions.

The update report can be found here. The 2013 report is available here.

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